Wednesday, June 18, 2014

If you're looking for a little help lugging your paddleboard from your house or car to the water, check out our SUP board carriers. We've got 2 different versions to check out here and here, and they each do effectively the same thing.

The strap wraps around the underside of your paddleboard and then over your shoulder in a way that gives you the support and strength that you need to be able to easily and effectively maneuver your SUP to the water so you can get on with your next session.

The SUP shoulder straps is great anytime you've got more than a few steps to carry your paddleboard and when the handle in the center of your board just won't get it done. Save your arms for the paddle strokes! Grab a SUP shoulder strap carrier.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

By Rick BickerstaffI found a new spot today.No, it wasn't some 20-foot break 3 miles off the coast of California that can only be reached by hovercraft and has never been seen by human eyes, except for mine and Google Earth's. My new spot has been ridden by countless surfers. It's even so well-known that it has it's own Surfline report. But to me, this is a new spot. A new break with unknown dangers and glories ahead. And I'm excited!

My friend and I planned on a Tuesday surf, but when I walked out of my apartment, the wind almost blew me over -- gnarly off-shore gusts that kicked up all kinds of choppiness for our session. When we got to the beach, it was a big mess. We watched a surfer duck-dive about 25 times in 2 minutes, and every time we thought about suiting up to paddle with him, an icy-cold breeze would permeate our bodies.

So we kept driving south. I had always wanted to this cove at the tip of a peninsula that juts out just south of Los Angeles, but never knew how to get there. I knew people surfed there though, although I had heard it was pretty localized. Still, with nothing to lose on a bad surf day, we drove.

Well, we found it -- two surfers in a cove breaking deep enough over small rocks to ride smooth and long. The peninsula blocked some of the wind, which made the paddle out easier than anywhere else in town. But was it surfable? Were there unseen dangers we knew nothing about? We watched as the surfers caught lefts -- totally surfable! Let's go!!

We suited up and ran down the hill, jumping into the water and finding ourselves in chest-to-head-high waves that kicked you up into them before evening out into long rides. It was still rough, and the other surfers had left, leaving a bit of an uneasy feeling while sitting in the unfamiliar terrain. But I'm fairly certain that on this windblown, stormy day, we found one of the best spots in town.So why am I writing this? Because I found something good, and you tell people when you find something worth sharing! I also wanted to urge you...go exploring! Is there a break you've been meaning to try, but an old familiar spot keeps you from going? There's nothing wrong with old faithful, but don't wait for a bad day to travel new roads. Sometimes, they may just lead you home.

Monday, June 16, 2014

It is now only 3 days until Firefly Music Festival 2014 opens up, and for the first time that is happening on a Thursday! The StoreYourBoard team has been to all the Fireflys - here we were in 2012 and in 2013 - and we wouldn't miss the 2014 event, either.

Firefly 2012 - the original

We even posted our Firefly Festival and Camping Tips learned from the 2012 show. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, so much has changed since 2012 to 2014 that some of those tips don't even apply. Check out the Firefly map - the festival grounds' 300+ acres for 2014 are now almost three times as big as they were in 2012 (87 acres).

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Once something is going to be a movement involving a large number of people, it's probably a wise notion to involve a set of guidelines. For instance God had to give the 10 commandments, or else today we would still be eating forbidden apples and trusting snakes in order to make decisions. It is important that as a SUP community we all look towards something that we can all agree on, being it such a booming and relatively new industry.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

By Rick BickerstaffThere's nothing quite like driving up the Pacific Coast Highway and listening to Jack Johnson to me; or riding with friends to a foreign break, jamming to Sublime as we anticipate the unknown session ahead. Music and surfing go hand in hand, and so I thought I'd examine the sounds of surfing as a little history lesson, and to inspire your next ride out to the beach.

A parody of surf music from the film "Top Secret!"

Music is a tricky thing in that it's tough to pin down where a certain genre began, usually starting in some hole-in-the-wall club where another artist hears it and then makes it popular. As far as we know, one of the major pioneers of surf rock is Dick Dale, who claimed that signature lead guitar sound found in his most popular tune, "Miserlou."

Sunday, June 8, 2014

By Rick BickerstaffBelieve it or not, I used to not be a big believer in purchasing board storage. I'm cheap and my boards used to just stand up in the corner behind the bookshelf...not very attractive, nor an appropriate way to show off your passions.

Photo: northcountysurf.blogspot.com

After getting a few racks from StoreYourBoard.com, though, I have to say that every time I walk into my garage, I like to just stare at my boards...beautiful on their racks and lined up in a row, just like those endless sets we all dream of.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Brazilian Gabriel Medina handled Nat Young in the finals of the 2014 Volcom Fiji Pro held at Cloudbreak in beautiful, barreling 3-4 foot waves. With the win, his second of the season following his win at the first event of the year, the Quik Pro Gold Coast, Medina leapfrogged from 4th place to 1st place overall in the WCT standings.

If you bike fairly regularly, you are going to find yourself needing new tires at some point. Your tires could be worn down, old and crumbly, or maybe you just want a different size. I recently switched my tires from a 40 millimeter set to a 32 millimeter set because thinner tires help me to bike more efficiently.
The whole process was fairly easy and only took about 20 minutes.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Ceiling SUP Racks

Ceilings SUP racks for stand up paddleboards are awesome if you are limited on space. They are by far the best option and sometimes the only options if you have a house or garage full of stuff on the floor and walls. Your ceiling space is almost never filled and is one of the most underutilized spaces for storage in general.

It may seem counter intuitive, but ceiling racks are also one of the safest places to keep your SUP. Having your paddleboard suspended up in the air will prevent any unwanted bumping into your board. Whether it be kids, cars, or pets, a ceiling rack keeps your SUP out of range and safely secured. We know how much SUPs can cost, so we see many customers pick the ceiling rack strictly based on safety concerns. The most important thing you need to consider about a SUP ceiling rack is whether or not you can easily load and unload it. If you are a strapping young lad or lass, you may be able to easily throw it up and bring it down. But if not, then you need to consider whether you will have someone to help you put your SUP into place depending on how heavy your board is. We offer single and multiboard SUP ceiling racks. One of the best ceiling SUP racks we offer has expandable capability so you can customize to your needs.

Freestanding SUP Racks

Freestanding racks are the best option if you are looking for a mobile storage solution or if you want to be able to store your SUP without damaging your walls and ceilings. Additionally, if you have concrete walls and drop ceilings, then a freestanding paddleboard rack may be your only option because wall and ceiling racks may not be feasible.

The majority of freestanding racks are going to hold your board level with the ground so that it won’t have any issue fitting inside typical residential buildings. As mentioned above, freestanding racks are great if you need a mobile solution. Whether you are a shop owner moving around boards on your showroom floor, or you just want to take your rack to and from your beach house, the freestanding rack is a great choice. There are also freestanding SUP racks that will hold your board vertically on display. These may be the least practical SUP racks, but are the coolest racks available. These vertical SUP display racks hold your board completely upright which looks awesome for display purposes and makes a great addition to retail shops. The word of caution on these racks though is that you must ensure you have adequate ceiling space. A typically residential ceiling is 8ft, so you must make sure that your board will fit in whatever space you have.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Wakesurf or wakeboard tower racks for your boat come in a variety of styles and shapes, but the purpose is always the same - storage and organization on your boat. If you’ve ever been out on the boat with friends, coolers, and all your favorite toys, then you’ll understand how precious of a commodity space is on your boat. But as we know, there are a variety of different racks with many different features. Here's our guide on wakeboard boat tower rack features to help you get exactly what you need!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

The X Games begins its next chapter on Thursday, June 5 as it kicks off for the first time in Austin, Texas. The new venue has plans for new gigs - including comps like the Stadium Super Trucks and entertainment like Battles of the Bands. Austin is known as the live music capital of the US - and they have made sure to live up to their rep, scheduling live acts throughout the weekend, including Kanye West, Flaming Lips, Mayer Hawthorne, Mac Miller and Pretty Lights, among others.